It’s fair to say that since then the company has achieved an impressive turnaround, resulting in the exceptional Galaxy S8 and now its larger sibling the Galaxy Note 8.

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In terms of design, the Note 8 borrows heavily from its smaller flagship sibling.

There’s the same stunning bezel-less Infinity Display that you’ll find on the S8 but this time the screen has been upped to a massive 6.3-inches.

It’s a QuadHD AMOLED display that boasts Mobile HDR Premium certification meaning that certain shows from Netflix and Amazon Prime will look even more impressive on the Note 8′s display.

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Despite this increase in size the Note 8 still feels impressively comfortable to hold in the hand, if a little tall.

Thanks to a fully glass body and metal frame the Note 8 is the heaviest of Samsung’s smartphones so if you don’t mind taking good care of it we would recommend against a case.

As with all Note products, the Note 8 comes with an S Pen stylus. This latest version of the S Pen is both more sensitive and also waterproof.

New features with the S Pen include something called Live Message. This effectively lets you draw your own messages and even create your own GIFs which can then be sent via MMS or WhatsApp.

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Thanks to the Note 8′s always-on display you can also create instant notes simply by removing the stylus from the phone and tapping it onto the display.

Where Samsung’s really trying to impress however is the camera.

The Galaxy Note 8 is the first of Samsung’s phones to sport a dual-camera, similar to those found on the iPhone 7 Plus and the OnePlus 5.

What makes the Note 8 unique however is it’s the first phone to offer Optical Image Stabilisation on both of its 12MP lenses. That means that you get the same level of stability when recording video or taking pictures no matter how zoomed in you are.

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A new feature called Dual Capture takes two pictures at once. One through the telephoto lens for a close-up and another through the wide-angle giving you a larger image.

Finally Live Focus lets you take Bokeh images but actually adjust how much blur you want to apply while taking the shot. Now in the short time we used this we found it to be an interesting, if fiddly process, but ultimately we suspect that given time it could become a really powerful photography tool.

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As with the S8, the Note 8 features Samsung’s version of Google Android. Unlike the S8, the Note 8 has a new feature called Dual Apps which lets you open two apps side-by-side with the single touch of a button.

While those apps are open you can drag and drop content between the two.

With the Note 8 lacking a physical home button Samsung has moved the fingerprint sensor to the back of the phone next to the camera. Instead Samsung’s hoping you’ll take advantage of either its facial recognition system or its biometric iris-scanner that can unlock your phone just be reading the patterns on your eyeball.

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For those interested in the Note 8′s specs it comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It’ll also be available in two colours: Midnight Black and Maple Gold.

You can pre-order the Note 8 today and the phone will officially go on sale on the 15 September.

Now for the bad news, the Note 8 isn’t cheap. It starts at £869 for the 64GB version.

Best Smartphones You Can Buy In 2017

Apple iPhone 7

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

This is Apple’s best iPhone ever, and if we’re honest it’s one of their most innovative devices yet. It has an incredible camera, is water-resistant and boasts a stunning bright new display. Of course it can’t escape the rumours surrounding next year’s device but if you’re looking to buy a smartphone right now, and Apple are on your radar, this is the phone for you.

Google Pixel

The Huffington Post UK

This is Google’s iPhone. It’s that simple. As such there are achievements and compromises. If you’re after an incredibly well-built, powerful Android flagship, Google have given you a truly five-star smartphone. If you’re a photographer, the Pixel’s camera and cloud storage option make this a no brainer. It's not cheap though, with the XL costing over £800.

OnePlus 3T

The Huffington Post UK

The OnePlus 3T is simply a continuation of the ethos that makes OnePlus phones so good. It’s exceptionally well-built, powerful and offers you everything you could want in an affordable and meaningful package. No smartphone will give you more value for money.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

Bloomberg via Getty Images

With a new curved back and larger 5.5-inch display the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is more about evolution than revolution. The S7 edge now sports a water-resistant body, embedded camera and a MicroSD card slot. The S7 edge is also Samsung's most powerful smartphone yet, so powerful in fact that Samsung have actually had to equip a tiny water-cooling system inside the phone. The good news though is that means you'll never have to worry about getting a warm hand.

Apple iPhone SE

The Huffington Post UK

Incredibly, Apple's familiar-looking iPhone SE manages to boast the same performance as its top-of-the-range iPhone 6s making it the most powerful 4-inch smartphone available. If you're keen to return to the days of one-handed texting then Apple's bite-sized iPhone is the smartphone for you.

LG G5

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The LG G5 sets itself apart from rivals like the S7, Xperia XA and the iPhone 6s by being something utterly unique. The G5 is the first commercial 'modular' phone, allowing you to swap out the bottom for new accessories. So far there's an audio one made in partnership with Bang & Olufsen and a camera-focused attachment which gives you extra camera controls.

Huawei P9

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The Huawei P9 is a smartphone designed for capturing life. Thanks to a partnership with photography legends Leica this dual-lens camera can take pictures that'll put your dedicated camera to shame. Of course it helps that the P9 is also a pretty great Android smartphone as well.

Google Nexus 5X

The Nexus 5X strikes the ultimate balance between power and affordability. Taking over the responsibility from the frankly excellent Nexus 5, Google's new smartphone boast an ultra-light body but still crams in a fingerprint sensor, the latest version of Android marshmallow and a Full-HD display.